Review: Francis Crick: Discoverer of the genetic code, by Matt Ridley

By Alun Anderson

FRANCIS CRICK did not fit the stereotype of a scientific genius. He was not eccentric, shy or even absent-minded. Rather, he was extrovert, loud (his braying laugh often annoyed), gregarious and fond of pretty girls. He was striking-looking, too&colon; tall, with blue eyes.

Worse still for purveyors of cliché, some of his best thoughts came to him in pubs rather than labs, and were developed through endless conversations, especially with a series of close intellectual partners. Among them were Jim Watson (who described him as “the brightest person I have ever known”), Sydney Brenner, who shared a …

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